The Fish

By lodging a bid for Rooney to open the door for Man Utd? I thought that story was just people trying to sound ITK?

When the last of them to try and use "6 in a row" to win an argument realises that it just makes them look fucking stupid given the situation they're in. When we went down we were derided for our arrogant belief we'd bounce right back up, but objectively we had the best manager in the league, he'd spent well on a squad, rather than buying big names, we had a core spine to the team that was at best lower Premier League, at worst top Championship and most importantly we had few arseholes and a good number of hard-working solid professionals. It then transpired we had one of the best strikers in the league, the best right winger (Knockaert can suck my plums), the best Central Midfielder, the best defence in the league and so on. Our "gambles" paid off on the whole; Atsu, Clark, Hayden, Murphy, Yedlin, with only really Lazaar and Sels being total failures. They've gone down and are now stuck with their 3rd choice manager who is bang average in the Championship, a man who's not been backed anything like enough, regardless of their healthy transfer income. He's signed fairly well known names, rather than addressing key weaknesses in the team. After relegation they were left with a team that was at best top Championship, at worst League 1. Only Lamine Kone is good enough for the Premier League on his day, and he clearly couldn't give less of a shit. They haven't a reliable striker, any real creative spark and a leaky fucking defence. None of their "gambles" have paid off. All that said, I still think they've enough in their squad to survive, but that that is even up for debate is a damning indictment of the way that club has been run into the ground for years. The warning signs were there, flashing stark cautions into the wearside gloom, but every season those signs were eclipsed by the spotlights shining on the derby wins, the relegations or whatever else was happening at circus that is Newcastle United. "You finished on 39pts and would have gone down if.." "DORRRRRTY KNEEEES! Horse Punchers!" "You failed to get 40pts again and all your points came in th..." "Borini is class marra! 3 in a ROWWWW!" "This is the 3rd year in a row that you've failed to get 40pts, aren't you worr..." "HE SHAGS WHO HE WAAAAAANTS!" "4yrs out of 5 you've been involved in a relegation fight." "Wis sent yiz dooon! 6 in a row! Yis are gutted! Yiz'll be down for years, Benitez won't stay and it's a pub league." "You've been relegated, there are persisting rumours about administration and you're in the bottom 3 of the 2nd flight." "6 IN A ROW!"

If you describe it I'm sure I'd be enthused, but their own site makes it sound a bit shit. Hadrian's Wall 1/2 Marathon sounds an awful like "London's" Southend airport.

Urgh, we get it you have a Partner I saw a counsellor at Uni and I have regular chats with my GP. I was lucky that the counsellor offered advice about triggers, about mechanisms to deal with my depression, and so on. She avoided steepling her fingers and asking me to talk about my childhood. Forgive me if I've misread it, but this sounds like you're rooting around for a central problem? And once you find and address it, there won't be anything between you and the you you want to be? Obviously if you don't forgive me, we'll have to fight and we know how you feel about confrontation, ergo I win...

"Taste" defeat? Are they not full up already?

Don't get Rooney's association with Shepherd like.

A slight poacher who scores but doesn't contribute hugely to the rest of the team?

He had good movement in the box and I figured him for a bit of a poacher in the Chicharito mould. Don't think he has the technique to play #10.

Getting things wrong on the way sounds very much in keeping with the Uber experience.

I'm not convinced, I think we'd lose a vital part of Benitez' strategy by removing Joselu from the sharp point of the spear. I agree we need something other than Perez (or Diame) in the #10 position, but I think Joselu up front is better than Joselu in a role he's not familiar/natural at. Of the squad we've got available I'd prefer Merino played further forward and Joselu retain his role up front, to be honest.

Mitr

Isn't it too much of a significant change to the system to risk and the hope that it will be better?

Square pegs, round holes aren't they? fwiw I'd give Gayle longer against Liverpool, but I'd stick with Joselu up top. I'd be tempted to play a 4-1-4-1 Hayden sat deep, Shelvey and Merino in the centre with Joselu given the unenviable task of relieving pressure, winning freekicks and so on.

Yeah, all we're after is consistency. It's not some kind of anti-Newcastle agenda, and I get why the stamp wouldn't be as interesting given they've recently covered one, but we don't seem to benefit from these kinds of things as much as we suffer for them.

Maybe. He's not played there before though, has he? Isn't this similar to when people see a centre back who can trap and pass a ball, and people call for him to be played as a defensive midfielder?

He's safe until he goes after Nascar, gun owners and Simon Legree.

Not sure about Joselu's close control, eye for a defence splitting pass, etc.

I don't think so.

Playing both strikers would leave us with 2 in the centre and I'm guessing Benitez prefers 3 players around that area, even if the 3rd is just a busy #10 like Perez. Should mean we can stifle their play more and (with a better #10) still provide an attacking threat. We should play Mitr, he holds up play and bangs 'em in* * for his national team

Aye we played a similar style to each other in the championship as well. We'll fare better against sides that are better than Brighton on paper because they won't be as well drilled at set pieces and who aren't going into the game as underdogs that we have to break down. Ritchie had a poor game by his standards and our final ball was lacking from all the creative players. Joselu adds a lot to the team, but by christ he needs to score some of the opportunities that he does well to get into the right positions for. But for one poor bit of defending, or had we taken one of our chances we'd have got the draw we deserved.

Gamez looked all right when he came on and played as a wing back as we were so far forward. Agree that a draw would have been fair and had Joselu put away his chance or Ritchie not had an off game it probably would have ended 1-1.

He won't like.

Commentator said "He's got that nastiness to his game and he's stood on Yedlin there, but there was no intent" Pick that apart.